STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State falls 3-2 (21-25, 17-25, 25-13, 25-18, 12-15) despite a late rally in their match up against New Mexico in the opening game of the Tarleton State Invitational on Thursday in Wisdom Gym.
Madison Rice-Lockett recorded a career-high 18 kills and added three blocks. Junior, Madison Frank anchored the defense at the net with a match and career-high of nine blocks, while also contributing 11 kills. Emma Burke also registered seven blocks and notched nine kills.
Megan Hodges led the team with 30 assists. She posted her first double-double of the season by recording 10 digs. Teya Nguyen totaled 17 assists. Morgan Carter led the team in digs putting up 16.
A slow start in the first set put Tarleton behind early, but kills from Frank, Rice-Lockett, and Burke helped the Texans find their rhythm and erase the deficit. Big defensive blocks from MaKayla White, Rice-Lockett, and Burke helped keep the Texans competitive, as the teams' traded points down the stretch of the set. The Texans found momentum against the Lobo's which was highlighted by kills from LaNeah Lara and Frank but ultimately the Texans lost their offensive rhythm, despite successful attempts from Breannah Peterson, dropping the set 25-21.
The Texans opened the second set with a solid block from Burke and Frank. The Lobo's went on a four-point run that was broken by a kill from Peterson. The Texans continued to trail deep into the match despite offensive efforts from Leila Paraoan and Peterson. A determined five-point run helped keep the Texans in the set with three of Rice-Lockett's 18 kills coming from this run. In spite of these driven attacks, the Texans came up short 25-17.
In the third set, Tarleton State built a 3-0 lead with Paraoan and Burke tallying early points for the Texan offense. Strong serving efforts from Hodges set up the offense for those kills. Victoria Fontenot came off the bench to spark Tarleton State with a service ace and additional kills from Rice-Lockett to take a 6-1 lead. Frank and Peterson anchored the defense at the net with key block assists, while Burke and Rice-Lockett combined for several kills during a mid-set run that distanced Tarleton State from the Lobo's. With the Purple and White leading 13-7, the Texans used an 8-1 run to expand their lead 21-13. In the final points of the set, Madison Frank put the Texans within a point of winning the set. A service error from the Lobo's clinched Tarleton State the set victory, 25-13.
During set four, the two teams traded points to open the frame. With the Texans leading 7-5, the Lobo's used a 6-0 run to take the lead, 11-7. The Texans responded with a 5-1 run, fueled by a kill and block by Burke and capped with a Fontenot ace to tie the set at 12. The Lobo's took the next two points from the Texans to regain the lead. Tarleton State used a 4-0 run to take the lead back for good to take the lead back for the final time in the frame, 16-14. On the run, three kills from Rice-Lockett pushed the Texans. With the Texans leading 20-18, the Purple and White used the 5-0 run to tie the match to two sets a piece and force a fifth and final set. The Texans fourth set victory was powered by two kills from Burke and finalized by an attack error from the Lobo's to seal the set, 25-18.
The fifth set was another set of trading points steadily throughout the first six points for the final frame of the match. The back-and-forth effort from the Texans was sparked by kills from Rice-Lockett and Taylynn Biggs. Tarleton State trailed in the middle of the set as the Lobo's went on a five-point run to widen the gap in the final moments of the match. Block assists from Burke and Peterson allowed the Texans to regain their footing in the set and allowing LaNeah Lara to provide two kills to bridge the gap in the point deficit. Ultimately, an attack error from Burke sealed the end of the match, 15-12, causing the Texans to drop the match 3-2.
The Purple and White tallied 57 kills, 30 blocks, 54 assists, and six service aces during the duration of the match.
Tarleton State will return to Wisdom Gym on Friday on day two of the Tarleton State Invitational where they will face off against Prairie View A&M at 7:00 p.m.
